Notes on Typhlops diardi - the Wildlife of Pakistan Website

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supralabial (Fig. 1). On body, glands extend from base
of the scale to its middle.
Soft anatomy: The long, pedunculate rectal caecum,
lies on the left side of the rectum, running parallel
to the ilium to the level of posterior end of the left
kidney, opens at the ilio-rectal junction. The rectal
caecum is longer than kidney, with black material
inside. The kidneys are elongated fusiform structures,
right longer and higher in level. the ureters run along
inner side of respective kidney, straight to the base of
the tail, where ureters join each other (Fig. 2, A, B).
The testis are elongated, right is much longer and
is composed of four testicular units, it is more
anteriorly placed than the left, which is composed of
three units. Unlike separate testicular units reported
for Leptotyphlops Philip (Warner and Brook, 1967) the
testis are distended as if in advanced reproductive
state, so the testicular units are almost
indistinguishable from each other (ref. Plate 1, Fig. 1,
Fox, 1965). Long convoluted vas deferentia extend from
the anterior end of testis to the base of the tail where
both converge to join each other and open in the common
urinary duct, formed by the union of ureters and open in
a pair of peculiar urinogenital sacs lying above the
rectum. The sacs extend to the midtail (Fig. 2, A, B).
No sexual dimorphism is reported in this species.
To know sex, all specimen were dissected. The thick
spindle-shaped hemipenial sac extends from cloacal
aperture to the base of the caudal spine. Dissection of
the sac reveals pitted surface of the organ with lateral
longitudinal folds running along sides converging at
organ's broad distal tip. The sulcus is deep, median,
runs to the top of the cylindrical organ (Fig. 3, A,
B).
Ovaries are multipartite, right is at a higher
level. The ova are linearly arranged and are at
different stages of development. Only right oviduct is
present which opens on the right side of the rectum. The
reno-genital region of the body is packed with yellowish
U-shaped fatbodies. A median cloacal gland is present in
both sexes (Fig. 3, A, B).
Variations: Table 1 summarizes morphological data
for the present collection. Most apparent variation is
in the total length of the snakes which varies from 214
to 295 mm, against 430 mm reported in literature
(Boulenger, 1890, 1893; Wall, 1923; Smith, 1943).
Moreover, males are longer (218-295 Vs 214-215) and
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